KUALA LUMPUR: Mastercard announced the completion of a pilot that delivered its first authenticated agentic transactions in Malaysia, marking a major step forward for trusted AI‑powered commerce.
The pilot was conducted with CIMB Group Holdings Bhd and RHB Banking Group using Mastercard Agent Pay and was initiated by AI agents in a controlled pilot environment, ensuring security, transparency and full consumer control.
The pilot demonstrated how AI can help consumers complete everyday tasks—such as transportation— securely and seamlessly.
Mastercard country manager for Malaysia Beena Pothen said Mastercard’s first live agentic transaction in Malaysia demonstrates how AI can engage in commerce responsibly.
“With Agent Pay, we’re embedding trust, authentication and transparency directly into AI-driven payments. In collaboration with CIMB and RHB, we’re meeting the highest standards of tokenisation, enhancing security, and protecting consumers,” she said.
In the inaugural test case, an AI agent booked a ride from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to KL Sentral through hoppa, a global mobility provider.
The booking and agentic transaction was facilitated by CardInfoLink’s AI agent, which connects to hoppa’s taxi and airport limousine network.
The transaction used tokenised credentials authenticated with Mastercard Payment Passkeys to ensure strong customer verification and data protection.
While the pilot confirmed the technical and operational feasibility of agentic transactions in Malaysia, commercial deployment will be phased in.
Mastercard will work closely with issuing banks and partners to educate consumers on agentic commerce, helping them engage with AI-driven payments safely and confidently.
Mastercard Agent Pay provides the safeguards needed for secure AI‑initiated transactions.
Each transaction uses a Mastercard Agentic Token, uniquely issued to each agent for enhanced security. Consumer consent is explicitly captured, and purchase confirmation is secured via Mastercard Payment Passkeys.
Mastercard will continue to work with partners to expand the use cases for secure, authenticated agentic transactions across further industry segments, including travel, entertainment, and retail.
Looking ahead, Mastercard is accelerating the growth of agentic commerce across the region through additional efforts.
This is achieved through establishing a regional AI Centre of Excellence to drive innovation and strengthen governance for AI-led transactions.
Further, Mastercard is building deeper partnerships with leading large language model providers and AI agents across the region and deploying dedicated agentic commerce teams to support financial institutions and merchants as they transition.
This milestone builds on Mastercard’s growing leadership in agentic commerce across Asia Pacific, following earlier authenticated agentic transactions completed in Australia, New Zealand and India.
Together, these deployments demonstrate the accelerating adoption of secure, AI‑initiated payments across the region — and Mastercard’s continued progress in establishing trusted, scalable foundations for agent‑powered commerce.
CIMB Bank Bhd and CIMB Malaysia CEO Gurdip Singh Sidhu said this milestone underscores how AI can simplify everyday interactions without compromising customer control.
“It reflects our vision of banking that is intuitive and seamlessly woven into life. Our collaboration with Mastercard enables us to deliver secure and responsible AI‑powered experiences to our customers,” he said.
RHB Banking Group managing director, group community banking, Jeffrey Ng Eow Oo, said AI is opening the door to entirely new ways of interacting and transacting, but trust must be the foundation.
“This milestone highlights how thoughtful design and strong industry collaboration can make emerging technologies safe and meaningful for consumers.
“Together with Mastercard, we’re shaping the next chapter of secure, intelligent commerce to continue enhancing the digital journeys of our customers,” he said.
The Sun Malaysia
